No Rest For The Wicked
by Los Desperados
Summary: Post-AC. With Sephiroth gone for good, the world's slowly turning back to normal. But something happens and turns Reno's life upside down. There truly is no rest for the wicked. Reno/Elena, eventually.
1. It's Just A Bad Dream!

**status** ongoing  
**background** takes place about a year after the _Advent Children_ movie  
**warnings** language, naturally  
**pairings** future relena  
**disclaimer** i do not own ffvii

* * *

**1. It's Just A Bad Dream!**

* * *

There's a feeling that many people get when something bad is about to happen. Most people call it intuition. Reno likes to call it _gut_; mostly because that's where it hits him.

Reno knew he was in for a shitty day the moment he opened his eyes that morning. The hangover was killing him and the blinding sun entering the room from the open curtains was not helping at all. He swore to never drink that much again in a week night. But then again, he was never good at keeping promises.

He slowly dragged his body out of the bed and walked his way to the bathroom, feeling the remnants of alcohol in his system trying to tackle him on the ground. Every step he took echoed in his ears, making his head ache even more. Reno threw up –fortunately, in the toilet– the moment he stepped into the bathroom. Maybe be did have too much to drink last night.

Hopping into the shower, Reno prayed that the cold water would help him with his problem. It did. When he stepped out of the shower, the terrible headache was still there, but he felt fresh and he hoped that with some painkillers, the pain would fade away.

Reno brushed his teeth to get rid of the bitter taste of vomit in his mouth and moved to his bedroom. Searching for something to put on for a good five minutes, he threw on his black pants and a white shirt, never tucking it in his pants and leaving the first two buttons undone. He grabbed his goggles and pushed them up onto his forehead. Slipping on his shoes and jacket, and picking up his keys and a packet of cigarettes, he was good to go. Reno exited his apartment with one last glance towards the clock on his wall. He smirked. He would be at work just in time to be late.

The car ride to work was unusually silent for Reno. Normally, he would turn the music on at maximum volume and blast his car's speakers, earning honking from annoyed car drivers. He _so_enjoyed annoying people. And he was the master of annoyance. Today, however, Reno was driving silently and abnormally carefully. His headache was killing him.

Reno pulled his car in the parking lot and walked to the building that roofed the Shinra HQ. He got into the elevator and pressed the button for the 45th floor. The 'ding' noise the elevator made every time it stopped on a floor made his mind explode. His head felt heavier with each passing second. When he reached his floor, he hurried his way to the office he, Rude and Elena shared. Opening the door, he saw Rude and Elena already sitting on their desks and doing paperwork.

"Good morning," said Elena, while Rude simply nodded at him.

"Yeah, it's a great morning," Reno replied sarcastically and sat down on his office chair, crossing his hands on the desk in front of him and laying his suffering red head on his hands, face down.

"You're hangover, again?" Elena asked in a surprised tone. It wasn't even a week since the last time Rude and herself had been dragging Reno's drunk ass at his apartment because he was in no state to return home by himself.

"Yeah, so what?" Reno mumbled.

"You will never grow up," Elena muttered but Reno didn't seem to notice as he was too busy trying to find a way to make his head stop aching.

"Can someone get me some painkillers and a coffee?" Reno asked without looking up.

Elena and Rude exchanged glances and Elena sighed. It was their usual morning ritual. She stood up from her seat and left the office, closing the door behind her with a soft 'click'. Reno groaned and looked up to find Elena missing. He smirked and turned at Rude.

"She _loves_ me."

Rude rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. "How's the hangover?"

"Head feels like shit," Reno whined and Rude continued typing on his computer. "Hey, can you stop _that_ thing?"

"Stop _what_ thing?" Rude asked.

"The _typing_ thing. It echoes in my brain and makes it hurt."

Rude sighed. "Why didn't you call in sick?"

Reno laughed but it soon died down when he realized it was making his head hurt even more. "Tseng will never again believe me if I call in sick."

"It's your fault for prank-calling him."

"Well, it's fun. God damn it, where's Elena? My head's about to explode!" Reno exclaimed and buried his head in his hands. Clearly, he had forgotten that his own voice made his head hurt more.

Rude shook his head at his friend's actions. Reno couldn't shut up to save his life.

Elena entered the room a few minutes later, a cup of coffee in one hand and a couple of painkillers in the other. She placed then on top of Reno's desk and sat down on her own. Reno grinned at her and swallowed the pills. He took the hot mug in his hands and leaned back on his chair, propping his feet on his desk and sipping his coffee.

Half an hour later, Tseng entered the Turks' shared office with some files in his hands. Elena and Rude looked up and greeted him, while Reno was sound asleep in his desk with his head lying on top of it, buried in his hands. Tseng sighed.

"Hangover again?" he asked the Turks.

Rude nodded.

"He's been drinking like a fish, again," Elena confirmed.

Tseng sighed again. "Someone has to talk him out of this."

"He won't listen anyways," said Rude.

"You're probably right. Making Reno quit drinking is a lost cause. Here are the reports of your previous mission. Fill them out," Tseng said and gave them the files. The Turks mentally groaned. _More paperwork, _Elena thought. Tseng nodded at them and left the office.

Soon after that, Reno's phone ringing echoed in the silent room. The other two Turks didn't look up but Reno groaned loudly.

"For God's sake, make it stop!" Reno groaned.

"It's _your _phone, Reno," Elena said with a roll of her eyes.

Reno cursed under his breath and searched into his jacket for his cell phone. When he found it, he pressed the answer button and pressed the device against his ear.

"Who?" he asked rudely. The person on the end of the line murmured something, causing Reno's eyebrows to narrow. "Yeah, that's me. Who is this?" More murmuring could be heard and Reno remained still in his seat. "Who?" he repeated the question to the person; Reno wasn't good at comprehending things when being abruptly woken up. "When?"

He sighed. "Give me the address." He scrabbled something on a paper. "I'm on my way." Reno hung up the phone and stood up.

Elena and Rude eyed him warily. "What happened?" Rude asked.

"I don't know. Some shit with a lawyer. I'll be back," he said and left the office hastily.

The two Turks exchanged looks. Reno's behaviour was too awkward to ignore. They would just have to wait until he returned to find out what was wrong.

And they did.

Two hours later, a very moonstruck Reno entered the office. His colleagues looked at him with questioning eyes. Elena walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Reno?"

Reno looked at her with troubled aquamarine eyes. His voice was trembling when he whispered, "I… I have a kid."

Then his world went black.


	2. The Man Who Knows The Truth

**status **ongoing  
**background** i know that Midgar doesn't exist after the game, let alone _three _years later, but i abhor the name Edge  
**warnings **language  
**pairings **future relena  
**disclaimer **i do not own ffvii

* * *

**2. The Man Who Knows The Truth**

* * *

Reno heard voices – distant voices. His brain couldn't register who the people talking were, but he could hear a male and a female voice arguing rather loudly, although his ears could faintly follow the conversation. Both voices were familiar and he tried his best to hear what they were saying, keeping his eyes closed for now.

"Tell me exactly what happened," said the man.

"I already told you, Tseng! He just walked in and he looked like a truck had hit him – multiple times," the woman explained for what it seemed, to her, the hundredth time.

"And then he simply passed out? Out of the blue?" the man asked again, as if sensing that the female was hiding something from him.

The female remained silent for a couple of seconds and Reno guessed there actually _was_ something she was holding back. "Well, he…"

"He said that he has a child," a third voice interrupted the woman. This one was more deep and manly than the first.

"A child? Are you sure that's what he said?" the first man asked, clearly not believing his own ears.

"Yes," answered the other man.

Before the first man was able to talk again, the woman's voice echoed loudly in the room. "Hey, guys! He's waking up!" she exclaimed.

Reno could feel three pair of eyes on him as he opened his eyes and blinked several times to clear his vision. When his aquamarine eyes were able to see clearly, he saw Elena hovering above him and Rude and Tseng standing only a few feet away. From the slight pain on his back, he figured he was lying back on his office chair. Some colleagues they are; they could've at least laid him on the armchair placed by the door.

Despite the bad emotional state he was in, Reno decided to benefit from the way Elena was hovering above him and make a little fun out of it. With a small smirk, he said, "Heaven?"

As soon as the words escaped his mouth, a palm connected with the skin of his left cheek in a well-aimed and very hard slap, a loud slam echoing in the room, which now Reno realized was the Turks' shared office.

"_You son of a bitch!_" Elena yelled at him. "You scared the hell out of us!"

Reno sat up on the chair, his hand rising to rub his stinging cheek and he frowned at the blond woman standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and an angry expression on her face. "It's not like I did it on purpose, Laney," he said in an annoyed tone. Man, that girl could slap.

"Stop it, you two," Tseng ordered and everyone turned to look at him. "Now, Reno, would you mind telling us what happened to make you faint out of the blue?" he asked calmly, his eyes boring into Reno's. The younger Turk took the message; Tseng wouldn't tolerate with bullshit.

Reno's eyes dropped on the ground and he sighed deeply. He didn't know if he wanted to tell them. The whole situation was fucked-up to the maximum. But then again, he had no clue as of what he was going to do about it and heck, they were his friends! They could help him out – or at least _try_ to do so.

"I…" He sighed again. "I received a call by a man named James Cain…" Reno started, while his mind replayed the scene that had occurred merely hours ago.

* * *

_Reno shifted uncomfortably in his chair in Cain's office.__His hangover had subsided, thanks to the painkillers Elena had given him and the nap he took at the office. He rubbed the back of his neck and it made a crack noise. Damn, what was it with offices and uncomfortable chairs?_

_He let his eyes wander around the large room, taking in everything. Certificates and diplomas were hanging upon the walls in elegant wood frames. There were two giant windows that let the sunlight peek inside the room from behind the silky curtains. The lawyer's desk was made from dark wood, probably walnut. There were many items placed on the desk, such as family frames, pencil cases, papers, folders and all sort of things. What can you say, Reno's the observant type._

_Suddenly, the door opened to reveal a tall man, in his early-thirties, in a black costume. His attire was similar to the Turks' uniform. He had short blond hair and hard features. The man –Reno assumed he was the lawyer who called him; James Cain– took off his jacket and hung it on the clotheshorse. He walked up to stand behind his office and placed his briefcase on his desk. Then, he extended his hand towards Reno, who reluctantly shook it._

"_I'm James Cain, lawyer. You are Reno, I suppose?" James said and sat down._

_Reno nodded curtly. "I am. Now why did you call me?" he asked, not in a mood to wait any longer._

_James__raised an eyebrow and Reno noticed he had deep brown eyes. "I see you want to get to the subject at hand."_

"_Why shouldn't I? I don't exactly have all day. I'm a Turk."_

"_I am well aware of that fact, Reno," he searched through some folders on his office. When he found the one he was looking for, he looked up at Reno._

"_Well?" Reno asked expectantly._

_James cleared his throat. "I already told you this is about your sister, Kate McDaniel. I was her lawyer."_

"_McDaniel?" the Turk asked in confusion. "Are you sure this is the right person? My sister's last name isn't McDaniel."_

"_Yes, Reno, I'm sure. See, your sister married Chris McDaniel," he paused to look through some papers, "two years ago."_

_Reno's eyes widened. Kate? Married? "Two…__ years ago?"_

_James nodded. "I guess you haven't talked with Kate in a while?"_

"_It's been over three years or something."_

"_I see.__Well, Kate's marriage is not the reason I called you here today," James said._

"_Then what is it already?" Reno was getting__really annoyed._

"_This may not be the best way to tell you, but your sister had an accident."_

_Reno's eyebrow rose. "What kind of accident?"_

"_She was in the plane that crashed two days ago."_

_The Turk could feel his face getting pale. He had heard of the plane crash. And he had also heard that there were no survivors. "How…__ where is she?"_

"_She died in that plane crash, Reno," James confirmed his thoughts._

_Reno swore his heart stopped right then and there. James noticed his face losing its color. He couldn't blame the guy. Anyone in his place would have frozen in his place. Deep inside, he felt sorry for the red-haired man. It was obvious that he didn't have the closest relationship with his sister but losing your family was harsh, even if you weren't particularly close. James had figured this out in the worst way possible._

"_I'm sorry, Reno."_

_Reno rubbed his temples, obviously trying to calm himself down. He knew this was not the place or the time to break down emotionally. Heck, he was a Turk! His pride wouldn't allow him to show weakness in the presence of anyone else but himself._

"_Why did you call me here for?"_

_James looked at him. "There are some legal matters, concerning you and your sister's heritage, so I suggest you listen carefully."_

_Reno nodded. "Go ahead."_

"_From what you told me, you didn't know of Kate's marriage to Chris," he began._

"_Affirmative."_

"_Then I presume you do not know that she gave birth, nine months ago."_

_Reno got this urge to let his jaw hang open, but held it back. Man, it got better as minutes passed. Note the sarcasm._

"_Nine months ago, on April 6th, Kate gave birth to a healthy baby girl," James continued._

"_The baby was in the plane, too?" Reno asked, his voice betraying horror._

"_No, he wasn't. Unfortunately, though, Kate's husband was. And he suffered the same fate as your sister."_

_Reno didn't speak. James took it as a sign to go on. He did have other clients to meet, after all._

"_Unless you haven't put two and two together, yet, what I am trying to tell you, Reno, is that you are this child's legal guardian," James explained slowly._

_This time, Reno reacted. His aquamarine eyes widened and then narrowed, brows knitting dangerously close to each other. "What are you saying? What about the grandparents? Aren't they the legal guardians?"_

_James nodded. "They are, indeed. But Chris was orphaned when he turned twenty-three. And to answer your next question, he was also an only child, thus you are the only relative your sister's __daughter has in this world."_

_Reno leaned back in his seat, a __sceptical look on his face. "This isn't a dream, right?"_

_The blond man shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not."_

_Reno ran a hand through his head. "Where's this kid now?"_

"_At their home in Costa del Sol. Your sister had hired a nanny to take care of her while she and her husband were away," James answered._

"_Do I have to go pick her up? I mean, can't you just give her custody to an orphanage?" Reno blurted out without thinking. A fog had formed in his mind, clouding his thoughts._

_James felt disgust towards the guy. What kind of person would abandon their n__iece to an orphanage without even meeting the child first? Reno, however, sensed this feeling and looked at the man sitting across from him in the eye._

"_I don't want to sound heartless, but I'm not the person to raise a kid. I am a Turk, my job is dangerous and I work full-time. I can't take care of a child," Reno mumbled desperately._

"_I understand that this is sudden, but there is nothing I can do about your problem, Reno. My job is to inform you about the legal matters that arose after Kate's death," James paused and took a breath. "You are the legal guardian of her child, and all of Kate's and Chris's belongings –house, money, bank account– they all belong to you. Until your niece turns eighteen and inherits them, that is. But until she is an adult, you are in charge of them."_

_Reno sunk deeper into his seat and hung his head down. His clouded brain was trying to embrace all the information given. James cleaned his throat again, which got Reno's attention. His eyes met James's brown ones._

"_Look, I have a friend who is a family counsellor. She can help you sort things out and find a solution. I'm not saying that you have to keep the child, but I think it's best to consider all the possibilities first and then make a decision, when you are calm and relaxed," he said and passed Reno a small card._

"_This is her card. Give her a call and make an appointment. I'm sure she'll be some help."_

_Reno ran a hand through his __dishevelled red locks again. "Man, I don't know what to say."_

"_You don't have to say anything. Think things over and don't make any hasty decisions, alright?" James inquired. "This folder contains everything concerning your sister's marriage, the child's birth, her belongings – everything. And one more thing."_

_Reno sighed and took the file. "They have a dog, too?"_

"_No, but I think you might have to organize a funeral for the two. Which means–"_

"_I have to go and identify the bodies," Reno finished for him. He was all-too-well familiar with the process._

_James nodded. "There's a picture of your sister's husband in __the file, too. Since you have never seen him in your life, I thought you might find it useful."_

"_Yeah, uh…thanks," Reno said and stood up, shaking James's hand once again._

"_I hope things will turn out well, Reno," James told him._

_Reno gave a bitter smile and shook his head slightly. "I highly doubt it, James."_

_Then, with the folder tucked under his arm, he left the office, closing the door behind him with a click._

* * *

"And that's what happened. This is why I passed out," Reno explained.

Silence fell among the fellow Turks. Neither knew what to say to comfort Reno or offer him compassion. The situation was a little more than complicated. All eyes stared at him, when he stood up and searched for something in his pockets.

"I need a smoke," Reno said and took out his cigarettes, immediately heading towards the balcony. The Turks exchanged looks and no one spoke again.

Suddenly, a cloud seemed to appear over Midgar. The storm was about to break. Or had it already broken?


	3. A Friend In Need

**status **ongoing  
**background **it's been a year since AC, so let's just pretend that the city isn't that pathetic anymore, 'kay?  
**warnings **language, angst  
**pairings **future relena  
**disclaimer **i do not own ffvii

* * *

**3. A Friend In Need**

_...is a friend indeed._

* * *

Tseng had many virtues; he was loyal, punctual and efficient as a Turk, responsible, patient and serious as a person, and sympathetic, compassionate and reliable as a friend. He never got in trouble and always tried to help his friends –_Reno_– whenever _they_ were in trouble. Tseng would never abandon his friends in their time of need – it's just the way he is. However, he couldn't help but feel powerless and unable to help Reno out with his current problem.

The loud and hyperactive redhead was in, what could perfectly be described as, deep_ shit_.

He had excused himself into the balcony, where he sat, smoking one cigarette after another. The three remaining Turks were inside the Turks' shared office, exchanging looks and trying to come up with any possible solution to help him out. Neither have thought something like that would ever happen. Stuff like that only happen in those crazy stories some twisted author writes. But this was reality, and the chances one has of waking up in the morning and finding out that he is the legal guardian of a baby girl are one in a million–or even more.

Yet, with Reno's unbelievably bad luck, you never could turn down any case.

"Tseng, we have to do something," Elena broke the silence between the Turks, her eyes moving to look at Reno standing in the balcony every five seconds to make sure he didn't try to jump off the building or something.

"Do you have anything to suggest?" Tseng inquired, silently agreeing with her.

"I... I don't know. I'll go out with him to make sure he won't try anything crazy," she said slowly.

Tseng nodded, silently agreeing with her. The last thing they needed was Reno pulling off a stunt like that–again.

Elena slid the glass door open and stepped out on the balcony to join Reno. With what he had gone through the last few hours, she didn't feel like leaving him alone in the balcony.

The air was chilly and Elena had to rub her hands against her forearms in order to keep herself warm. She had removed her jacket since she was stuck on doing paperwork and the thin dress-shirt wasn't keeping her warm at all. Autumn had kicked in and the weather was abnormally cold. It had been raining heavily for five days straight and only today had the storm subsided, with raindrops falling from the grey clouds every now and then. The sun hadn't made an appearance in many days and Elena wondered for how long the weather would be like this. Having grown up in Costa del Sol, she was rather fond of the sun. She enjoyed the rain, too, but she would trade rain for sun any day.

"How are you feeling?" she finally asked Reno, after a long silent moment. She was certain that he was aware of her presence out there –he _was_ a Turk, after all–, even though he hadn't made any moves to acknowledge it.

"Great," he said in that sarcastic tone that Elena absolutely despised, but he didn't turn around to face her. Instead, he took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. Elena wondered how many of those he had smoked since he got out there.

She was a little dumbfounded. She knew he was lying – his tone was _too_ fake – but she didn't know what to say. They never had the closest friendship, so she wasn't very comfortable around him.

"If you want to talk about it..." she started again, trying to provide consolation, but Reno cut her off.

"I want ten minutes of solitude, can I have them?" he snapped at her, rage building up inside him.

Elena wanted to say something – anything – to snap back at him, but the words simply didn't come. She felt angry at herself for trying to offer compassion to Reno. If there was one thing she knew about him, that would be that he hated it when people pitied him. She simply shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, looking away from him. Suddenly, Midgar's dull and busy streets seemed very interesting.

Another long moment of uncomfortable silence occurred and Reno was feeling more and more angry. He couldn't decide whom he was angry at, he just felt a strong rage for everything. Why did his life have to be so fucked up? He may haven't been a saint, but his life was already too screwed up. Why did this have to happen, too? Reno always thought it was bad karma and lousy luck. But for how much longer could he blame his tough luck for everything bad that happened to him? He had started thinking that someone up there hated him – _bad_. But with all the shit going on in his life, he didn't have the time (or the patience) to stop and overanalyze things. So, he just let it be.

Elena watched him out of the corner of her eye, fuming silently and glaring daggers at the sky. By the time he was preparing to start his third cigarette, Elena decided she'd had enough. She snatched it away from his fingers, earning a pure angry glare that could have made a lot of children cry. But Elena just stared at his face with an equally serious expression on her own.

"Seriously, what is your _problem?_" Reno asked furiously.

Elena shook her head and stepped closer to him. "I'm not gonna let you destroy yourself like this. I won't allow it."

He threw his hands in the air, showing clear despair. "What am I supposed to do then? Laugh and be all sunshine and butterflies? My life is fucked up, Elena! Is there anything I _can_ do about it?"

She placed her palms on his shoulders and looked up at him. "First of all, you need to relax."

"Easier said than done."

"Just try, okay? You have to relax. Let the pressure go," she said with a reassuring smile.

Reno leaned against the railing and buried his face in his hands, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Elena stood beside him, watching him silently try to calm himself down. She couldn't blame him for being edgy. Anyone in his place would have reacted the same way.

He moved his hands away from his face and opened his eyes to look at her.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

Reno shook his head slowly. "Not really."

"Look, I know it's hard. Your whole life is turning upside down, I'm just saying that you have to relax or you'll go crazy. It's a fact, shit happened in our lives, but we have to live it through."

"No, no, no, no, no. Shit like _this_ doesn't happen in everyday life. Shit like this only happens in my fuckin' life, which was perfectly fucked up since the moment I was born!" Reno burst out.

Elena looked down. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"Well, don't. It's pointless."

Suddenly, she found herself feeling powerless. It was an odd feeling. Like suddenly, the world was this dark, evil place (which it _was_), and she was a small dot on the map, unable to do anything, to change anything. Unable to help the people she cared about in their time of need. Unable to provide consolation to those who sought it. She didn't like this feeling at all.

Elena opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. It was clear that Reno needed some time on his own, to organize his thoughts and figure out a way out of his problem. His friends were supposed to be by his side, but at the moment, they were just as lost and troubled as him. Elena stepped back inside the office, to find both Rude and Tseng gone. Just when she was about to ask herself where they had gone, the door opened and the two Turks entered the Turks' shared office with equally serious looks on their faces.

"Where's Reno?" asked Tseng.

Elena nodded towards the balcony and looked down at her feet. Tseng and Rude exchanged looks and nodded. Rude, repeating Elena's earlier actions, walked out of the room to join Reno in the balcony. Tseng placed his hand on Elena's shoulder, causing her to look up at her superior.

"Don't worry, Elena," he said with his calm voice. "Reno will be fine. We won't let him down."

Elena shrugged. "What's in there for us to do? It's his decision."

"And we'll make sure he makes the right one," the leader of the Turks reassured her.

Before she could reply, Reno and Rude walked in the room, causing her to raise an eyebrow in question. She saw the three men exchange looks and she couldn't help but feel like an outcast. What was going on?

"We'll go get the child," Reno said firmly. "_Rude_ and _I_ will go," he added, looking pointedly at Elena, while Tseng nodded at him.

Now, Elena felt seriously offended. Why didn't Reno want her to tag along? She knew Rude was his best friend and that he trusted him more than anyone, but she was his friend (sort of), too. They have been working and hanging out with each other for over three years. She trusted him and she demanded his trust in return, which she thought she had – until now. And just how did Rude convince him to go and pick up the baby in two minutes? Uh, _men_. She could never understand them.

The two Turks left the room without further discussions on the subject, leaving Elena and Tseng alone. She looked up at him, expecting some kind of explanation, but he simply smiled at her.

"What the hell just happened? Five minutes ago, he was ready to jump off the building," she said.

Tseng looked outside the window. "You must understand, Elena. Reno and Rude have their own communication code. It might seem odd to us, but they can talk, without saying anything to each other. So, don't feel offended that Reno chose Rude to be by his side at this moment. It's only rational."

"I understand."

Tseng nodded. "Good. Now, I suggest we do some work until they come back."

"Yes, Tseng."

Once again, he nodded and exited the office, heading towards his own. Elena plopped down on her chair behind her desk and sunk into her seat. Like she was able to fill out paperwork with all the stuff that had happened during the last couple of hours. She was troubled about what Reno would do with his life. She might not seem like it, but she cared for Reno like her family. It was the same for Rude and Tseng. The Turks have been through a lot together, and they were going to see this through, as well. There was nothing impossible for the Turks.

The sun didn't peek from behind the dark clouds that day, and Elena silently prayed it wouldn't be that way for much longer.


	4. And Baby Makes Three

**status **ongoing  
**background **Rude & _Savoir Vivre_ – you know you love it; Lady _Bad_ Luck – i _so_stealed Fang's quote (ffxiii); brown eyes for the kid – her dad's, obviously, and it's a plot thing for later chapters ;)  
**warnings **language & Reno, who is ultimately _kyoot _at some part :P  
**pairings **future relena  
**disclaimer **i do not own ffvii  
**notice** i'm sorry for the lack of updates, fellas. i promise there will be more soon! and i _adore_ the title! bai-bai.

* * *

**4. And Baby Makes Three**

* * *

Reno was still angry, sad and confused –and freaking _scared–_ as he headed towards the helicopter with Rude. He couldn't quite understand why the fate liked to mess around his life so badly. Okay, it wasn't like he was the greatest person out there, but he wasn't that bad either. He was your average individual who minded his own business and likes to smoke and drink. He didn't deserve such a hard slap from fate just for _that_.

Or maybe it was because he was a Turk, a ruthless killer, a paid assassin and all that jazz. But, really, he knew people ten times _worse_ than him who got away without a single scratch from Lady Luck – or Lady _Bad_ Luck, in his case.

As they were walking towards the helipad, Reno suddenly stopped dead in his tracks – he _so_ hated that expression – as something came into his memory and called out to his partner. "Rude."

Said man looked at his partner from behind his sunglasses.

"There's something else we have to do first," Reno started hesitantly. He took a deep, calming breath and added slowly, "I must identify the bodies."

Rude simply adjusted his sunglasses and turned to the helipad's direction. "Tseng will take care of it."

Reno let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and he silently followed his partner. He knew there was a reason why he trusted the Turks with his life. He didn't even have to ask for a favor from Tseng and he would do it anyways. He was grateful for that. If _only_ he allowed him to check in for work an hour later as well. Oh, well. He'd take what he could get.

The pair got inside the helicopter and Rude was quick to get on the pilot seat. Reno frowned upon seeing that he wasn't going to ride this chopper. If there was one thing he was _excellent_ at, that was riding a helicopter.

"I want to ride it," he said in a demanding tone, as if he was a child demanding candies from his parents.

"No," was Rude's stern reply, which left no room for bargaining. In Reno's mental condition, the odds were for them to end up drowning in the ocean or flat against some building. He sympathized with Reno, but he was not lunatic.

Reno frowned and sunk in his seat, getting his hands on the folder he had brought along. According to the files – courtesy of James Cain – Kate and her family lived on a house in Costa del Sol. Reno had to crack small smile upon reading that. He had always been rather fond of Costa del Sol. There weren't many vacations when you were a Turk, but he always managed to get away from Midgar for a couple of days in order to enjoy some moments of rest in Costa del Sol, lying on the beach with a pina colada on one hand and a cigarette on the other. It seemed like the love for this place ran in the family.

Flipping through the pages, his eyes caught glimpse of a photograph. He brought it close to his face, observing the faces in the picture. The first person that caught his eye was a woman with a slightly tanned complexion, long crimson hair and pale aquamarine eyes. She was young, not older than thirty years old. Next to her was a tall man with brown hair and deep brown eyes. Reno didn't see anything special in the guy – whom, he assumed, was Chris – but then again, knowing Kate, she wouldn't have chosen some swamp rat to spend her life and start a family with; which meant that Chris was probably a nice guy. Both adults had equally big smiles on their faces, betraying the happiness and joy they were experiencing.

Finally, his eyes came to rest on the last person in the photo, a small baby, cradled in her mother's arms. She was quite chubby for a baby her age, and he could see a faint lock of red hair on the top of her head. If he had to guess, he'd say that her eyes would be somewhere between blue and green, too. She was taking after the family already, and she wasn't even a year old.

The look on her face was so serene; Reno unintentionally wondered why did life have to take away the family of such an innocent creature. What had she ever done to deserve such a fate? One of these days, he would accept his own fate - he was a drunkard, a heavy smoker and an assassin; maybe life _had_ the right to screw with him every now and then - but he would never find a way to accept this little girl's fate. It just seemed unfair.

Those three people made up a small, functional family. They looked happy with each other. The way Chris had his arm wrapped protectively around Kate's shoulders, and how Kate was holding the baby close to her with love. Reno felt kind of jealous for the moments they had shared as a family. He and Kate had never gotten to know their parents and they had been forced to separate at a rather young and tender age. He had gotten a job in the Turks, while she always disapproved anything illegal. So, their roads parted. They still kept in touch, but things were never the same as back when they were kids.

With a sigh, he put the picture away under some other papers. He was already feeling emotional, and the party hadn't even started.

* * *

Rude landed the helicopter gracefully on the helipad near the shore. He may wasn't as great a pilot as Reno, but he'd had his fair share of training in flying helicopters in the past. Reno's nap was interrupted abruptly by Rude's landing. His eyes shot open to find the crystalline ocean spread out in front of him. For a moment, he'd hoped this was all a dream and he was just visiting Costa del Sol for one of its famous pina colada's, but this clearly wasn't the case.

Wordlessly, the two males took the shortest road to the McDaniel family's residence, both wanting to get in and out as quickly as possible. That was the Turks' way, after all. Rude kept glancing at his partner worriedly as they walked, wondering how the hell Reno could keep such a calm demeanour at a moment like this. He'd known Reno for years and, experience had taught him that, he was never affected by the circumstances and always managed to keep his head during dangerous situations. But this was a whole different thing. This wasn't about fighting. It was about a small person whose life depended solely on Reno's decision.

Anyways, Rude felt a bit proud of Reno. He was showing all of them that he wasn't the kid they all cut him out to be.

However, Reno's peace and calmness didn't last long, sending whatever pride Rude had felt for him out the window. The moment they reached the house, his panic was revealed. They were making their way to the front door when Reno turned around and started walking to the direction they'd come from, without so much of a word to the bald man.

"I can't do this," he said when Rude grasped his arm and made him turn around. A pleading smile was plastered on his face. "Can't I just wait in the chopper?"

"No," Rude replied bluntly.

"Please?" The look on Reno's face was priceless, but Rude was not the one to be fooled.

"No. We're going in," he said sternly.

"But I _can't_! What part of it don't you understand? I can't go in there and get out with a freakin' _kid!_ I _can't_!" Reno whined loudly, trying to escape Rude's grip.

Rude stared at him long and hard through his sunglasses. Reno let out an infuriated sigh. He knew that he didn't stand a chance against Rude. The man had a way of twisting your arm and making you do whatever he wanted you to do without so much of a try. It was impressive, really. But, for Reno, at that very moment, it was just _infuriating_. He silently wished he would have taken Elena with him, instead of the bald man. At least Elena wasn't manipulative. Well, not as much as Rude, that is.

"Manipulative bastard," Reno muttered as he followed the bald Turk to the front door of the house.

* * *

Consoling others wasn't really Reno's thing – especially when he was in much of a sticky situation himself. He knew that it wasn't Rude's specialty either, but the bald man offered the crying woman, also known as the babysitter of Reno's niece, his handkerchief nevertheless. Reno would have snorted at his friend's politeness, but it could end_badly_ so he decided against it. Rude was very strict when it came to _Savoir Vivre_.

So, instead, he sat down on the sofa of the living room, shifting uncomfortably, and watching the woman impatiently. It wasn't that he was insensitive person, but the woman was clearly overreacting. _He_ was the one who lost his sister and ended up with a kid, not her. Not that he would _ever_ cry and wail because he lost a family member – it was long since he'd run dry of tears; back when he was a kid living in the slums. But _still_, she was overreacting.

Waiting for the young woman to calm down and collect herself, Reno took in his surroundings. The house was a two-story building, not too big, with large windows that allowed the bright sunlight to penetrate the house. The living room was stuffed with almost all kinds of furniture – sofas, armchairs, a coffee table, a desk, bookcases, wall paintings – in the shades of brown. It was warm and welcoming. It was nothing like his apartment, or like any of the ones he had resided in whatsoever. He had never paid much attention to décor.

And it suddenly dawned on him that _he_ was the one in charge of this house.

Reno shook his head, trying to stay clear of such thoughts for the moment. He cleared his throat, successfully earning both Rude's and the babysitter's attention. And he started, "Not that I'm not enjoying your company, miss, but I think it's time for us to get the kid."

He caught the sideways glare Rude gave him saying, _I thought I told you to shut up and let me do the talking_ – to which Reno replied with a frown because, when did Rude actually _talk?_ – and the babysitter's hesitant nod. He could tell that the woman did not trust them, but she didn't have much of a choice; he was the kid's legal guardian, much to everyone's – including his own; well, _especially_ his own – displeasure. She stood up from her seat and headed upstairs wordlessly. Reno found it a good opportunity to have a talk with Rude.

"Did you _see _that woman's reaction when she opened the door?" Reno asked. "She's like _attached_ to the kid. Maybe we should let her keep it," he added, hoping that Rude'd support his suggestion.

He didn't. "She's _seventeen_."

Reno raised an eyebrow. "So what? I was a Turk when I was her age."

Rude sighed in despair. If only Reno could keep his ideas to himself. "Quit chickening out. It's not your style."

The redhead fell back on the leather couch. "And what am I supposed to do? Laugh and joke about it?"

Rude shrugged. "That's what you always do."

Reno crossed his arms over his chest. "_Did_. When my life wasn't slapping me in the face saying, _hey Reno, you're my favourite one to screw over so here's a kid for you_! Seriously, Rude, even _I_ know when to shut up."

Rude remained silent for a moment, as if processing Reno's words. Then, he shook his head. "No, you don't."

His partner offered a growl. He was about to retort and say that at least he was _trying_, when the babysitter returned in the room with a portable bassinet in her hands. She placed it on the armchair she had evacuated earlier and looked expectantly at the two men.

Rude remained apathetic as ever, minding his own business, but Reno's reaction was almost comical. He had leaned his body towards the object of his attention. Inside the bassinet, there was a small baby, about nine months old, just like Cain had said, looking up at him with big brown eyes. Reno felt his heart drop to the floor. At that moment, he just wanted to stand up and run as far away as he could.

But, instead, he did something that surprised the other two adult occupants of the room _and_ himself. Reaching forward, he outstretched his arms and tried to get ahold of the baby lying in its bed. Under the babysitter's and Rude's shocked slash curious gaze, he tried for a good two minutes before he gave up with a sigh, realizing that he was incompetent as to even _hold_ the baby properly.

But Reno was known to be very stubborn, so he turned to the young woman in the room and asked her pointedly, unaware of the rudeness of his question, "How do I _hold_ it?"

The girl's eye twitched visibly, annoyed by the fact that this man was calling the baby girl and 'it'. However, she had to comply to his request because he was obviously going to be taking care of the small human for, hopefully, the rest of its life, so the least she could do – for the baby, _not_ Reno – was to teach him how to hold her properly. Taking the baby in her arms, the babysitter gave Reno a full view of how she was holding the baby, making sure to keep his head tucked against the inside of her elbow and careful not to crash her little arms against her torso.

Reno watched her carefully, memorizing every single movement she did, up to a point that the person in question had begun to feel a little uncomfortable. She wasn't used to being watched so intently, she was only seventeen and the fact that the man watching her was a rather attractive individual was enough to bring a faint blush on her cheek.

"Do you want to hold her?" she asked quietly, wishing for the attention to be removed from her.

Reno looked at her face and, trying not to take pride in the blush he had obviously caused to the young lady, he nodded. She carefully removed the baby from her arms and handed it to Reno, making sure that he held it properly. She was surprised to see that he was doing a pretty good job, even though she had witnessed, barely minutes earlier, that he had completely no idea of how to hold a child. Rude stayed silent through all this, though he rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses when he saw the girl blush. This was _not_ the time for Reno to unravel his charm.

As soon as the baby was placed in Reno's arms, she opened her eyes to look up at the person holding her, to find an unfamiliar face. Feeling insecure, the baby broke down in tears. The loud cry broke the silence that had formed inside the living room. Reno felt himself panicking as soon as he heard the wail but, lucky for him, the babysitter collected the small form in her arms and managed to calm it down. Reno released a breath he didn't know he was holding and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He was so _not_ cut out for this.

* * *

The two Turks left the house soon after the babysitter had managed to put the baby to sleep. Reno didn't want to be spending another minute in there; the atmosphere was suffocating. All he wanted was to go home and sleep. They picked up the kid and the house keys – Reno _was_ the typical owner from now on – and took their way back to the helicopter. The sun would be setting in a couple of hours. He hadn't realized how long they've been inside the house until he saw the rosy color of the clouds in the horizon.

Once inside the chopper, Rude placed the bassinet carefully behind the pilot and co-pilot's seat, making sure that it would be stable and the baby wouldn't wake up. It had taken a lot of effort to put her to sleep after the first meeting with her stepfather and Rude wasn't really in the mood for more crying. It had been a long day already. And without any further delays, the chopper took off to the sky.

Reno kept glancing towards the small human sleeping peacefully in its temporary bed. Panic washed over him as he thought that he'd have to take care of that little creature for at least a short while. The way it cried when he got his hands on it, it scared the shit out of him. How in the world was he supposed to take care of someone who cried when he did as much as hold them? He just hoped that Tseng had a solution for all this, because he would definitely go insane if he didn't.

He noticed a small flock of red hair on the kid's head and he couldn't help but smile at the trademark sign of the family. Too bad her eyes were brown. Everybody knew that Reno's red hair and aquamarine eyes was a killer combination. No one could resist him. Well, he thought slyly, maybe she would inherit some of her uncle's wit to make up for the lack of the bright eye color.

Reno almost banged his head against his seat. What in the _world_ was he thinking?


	5. Every Night Is Another Story

**status **ongoing  
**warnings **language  
**pairings **future relena (I'm tired of saying this!)  
**disclaimer** I don't own ffvii  
**notice **I'm not quite sure where this story is going. I used to have other ideas, but now I think they're dumb. Reno's a little different in this chapter, mainly back to his normal self and out of his trance. I don't know shit about babies and how to take care of them and it's evident. Sorry for that. I seriously wouldn't want to be Reno's child. He freakin' _sucks_. Ah, I don't know when the next update will be. I'm starting lessons on Wednesday, and I'm on the last year of high school so, yeah.

* * *

**5. ****Every Night Is Another Story**

* * *

Being stared at is something that nobody enjoys – babies included. Thus, it was only natural for the small youngster to break out in sobs when four unfamiliar faces were staring at her from up close.

The three men twitched upon hearing the loud noise, but Elena remained unfazed. She shoved the three Turks away from the poor baby's face, and stared at them pointedly.

"Come on, guys. It's a baby, not a sight. You're acting as if you've never seen one from up close." All three males stared at her wordlessly and she sighed. "Unbelievable," she murmured, rocking the bassinet back and forth in order to calm the child down.

A few hours had gone by since Rude and Reno left Costa del Sol and finally reached Midgar. Elena and Tseng had been waiting stoically in the headquarters for them to arrive, despite the fact that their shift for the day was over. Turks were more than coworkers; they were friends. And you never let down your friends when they need you.

Elena was tired and sore from sitting on a chair all day long, filling out paperwork that had tripled, since both Rude and Reno were away for the day. Not that Reno did any paperwork at all in daily basis, but still. He cracked a joke or two every half hour, so it made the whole process of restlessly completing mission files a little more bearable. That was, until he had discovered a dart board in the depths of his drawer – probably from his earlier years in Shinra – and set it on the wall right behind her head, of course.

Frankly, all Elena wanted at that moment was to sink in her bathtub and stay there until the world ended. But she knew that such a predicament wasn't uncommon in their world, so she decided that a quick shower would do well.

Reno's eyes were drifting from the rocking bassinet to Elena in surprise, and he made a mental note that Elena was able to calm down evil little creatures without really putting any effort to it. He'd have to remember that for the next time the little girl would break out in incessant wails.

As the young child slowly relaxed, he stretched his arms behind his back, smirking in satisfaction as his muscles popped, and he rolled his neck to release some of the tension there. It was Tseng who broke the newly formed silence between the four Turks and the now sleeping baby girl.

"Good job, Elena," he praised the female Turk, who shrugged in response, though Reno could see the glint of pride in her eyes. Even after years of being a Turk, Elena was still trying to prove herself to them. He couldn't exactly pinpoint why, nor did he have the time to, since he realized Tseng was talking again. "It's late, so I suggest we all turn in. It's been a hectic day."

"You don't say…"

With a brief glare towards Reno, he continued, "Rude, Elena, you two can go, but I want you in here early tomorrow." Tseng turned to Reno. "Reno, do you think you can manage one night before we find a babysitter?"

Reno shrugged casually. He was suddenly uncaring of whether he would be a good parent or not. His mind was made up already; he could not keep this child for a lifetime. But he needn't to voice his thoughts just yet. "I'll be fine. How hard could it be, huh?"

"You have no idea," Elena cut in, staring at him incredulously. "Babies need to be fed and changed, you know. And I doubt you have any of the necessary equipment for that."

Reno snorted and lifted the rather large bag the babysitter had provided him with, that contained all of the child's stuff – milk bottles, baby food, diapers, clothes, toys – and shook it gaudily in front of Elena's face. "Yes, rookie, I have _everything _the brat needs."

Elena scowled at the use of one of Reno's nicknames for her – the one he used whenever he was angry or playing games at her. At the moment, she knew it was the former. "I don't know why I even bother," she murmured and exited their shared office, throwing a dry 'good night' at them. Earlier that morning, she had felt some sort of sympathy towards the man, but now, it had all gone down the drain. Reno was a jerk, and he wasn't going to change anytime soon. She felt sorry for the poor child, which was dropped into his arms by fate.

Ignoring Elena's angry demeanor, Reno picked up the bassinet as gently as he could and slung the bag over his shoulder. "Well, fellas. I'm off. G'night." With that, he strode out of the room and towards Shinra's parking lot.

The two remaining Turks exchanged a look and sighed simultaneously. Neither of them wanted to think just how Reno would treat the poor kid, but there was nothing they could do at the moment. Reno would only accept their help if he asked for it, and from the looks of it, he would definitely do so soon.

Rude grabbed his jacket, flipped off the light switcher, and followed Tseng out of the office.

* * *

In all truth, Reno couldn't recall just what in the world was going through his head when he walked out of the headquarters with a baby in his arms. He surely must have gone insane, because he just realized that his knowledge of how to take care of a kid was down to nil.

He rummaged through the bag's contents, throwing out anything that got in his way, as the cries got louder by the moment. He didn't know what exactly he was looking for, but he hoped there was something in there that would make the little devil shut up. Women were so troublesome when they weren't old enough to have sex. Then again, Elena was old enough to fuck – even though he had a strong suspicion that she was _still _a virgin – and she was a fucking minx. Reno finally concluded that all women were a pain in the ass.

After a good five minutes of restless searching, he came across the object of his salvation; a bright colored pacifier. Grinning despite his tiredness, he picked up the pacifier and walked back to the wailing baby in the bassinet, and forcefully placed the object in its mouth. The moment the baby's lips were around the thing, her cries immediately ceased and began sucking on it happily.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Reno returned to the living room to clean up the mess he had made while searching for the pacifier, but quickly refrained from it and strode towards the kitchen instead. Once in there, he lit up a cigarette and fished a beer can from the refrigerator. He took a seat in his table of four and closed his eyes in an attempt to relax.

Two hours with the kid and he was already on edge. He wasn't sure he could keep up with it all night. He barely remembered the babysitter's instructions when they were preparing to leave Costa del Sol. She had said that the kid has to eat every five hours at max, and that she was only to be fed milk, juice, chamomile, ground plain food, and baby food from commercially prepared jars. Reno didn't know half of what that shit was, but he had nodded nevertheless. It wasn't like he intended to take care of the kid for a lifetime, so all those details were of no use to him.

Since they had boarded the chopper and took the way back to Midgar, Reno's brain was racing. He had seen the reaction of the child when he had tried to hold her, and it wasn't good news. He would give her up, he decided. But she was his niece, and he would make sure that the family she was adopted in would be the best. He may wasn't the ideal person to raise a kid, but that didn't mean he didn't care. He would find a good family for this kid soon, before neither of them got the chance to get attached. He was a Turk, he couldn't raise a kid; not to mention how irresponsible he was when it came to his own life.

Reno sighed in fatigue as he took a last drag from his cigarette before putting it out in an ashtray, and he threw his empty beer can to the bin by the door. Dragging his feet to the bedroom, he happily noted that the baby girl was sound asleep in her makeshift bed. He stripped off his clothes and got into a comfortable pair of sweatpants before crashing on his double bed. He was out in an instant.

* * *

Reno's peaceful slumber only lasted a couple of hours, before he was rudely awakened by two penetrating sounds. The first was, of course, the sound of his niece crying out loud, and the second was a loud pounding on his front door, along with the rigid ding-dong of his doorbell.

After his digital clock informed him that it was one past midnight, Reno decided that it was better to deal with the visitor first, because it would probably be someone he could communicate with using words – or fists, depending on the mood. He stumbled over his feet and his shin met a few pieces of furniture, before he finally reached the door and swung it open, security be damned.

In front of him was the elderly lady, Mrs. Elise Grimel, that lived in the apartment across the hall. Hers and his own were the only apartments on the floor and he had always been on friendly terms with the old lady. Aside from occasionally complaining to him about the noise he and his bed partners were making at ungodly hours, she was nice and at times she knocked on his door to give him a sample of the cookies she had baked. Her only daughter lived at Junon and rarely visited, so she was alone most of the time.

But, needless to say, he was surprised to see her on his doorstep at this hour.

"Eh, Mrs. Grimel? Is there something you need?" Reno asked drowsily, feeling more than eager to go back to sleep, even though it seemed like he wasn't getting any more sleep that night.

"Oh, dear. I'm sorry if I awoke you," the old woman apologized. "But I heard some loud noises from here and I thought I should check up on you." She cast a look inside the apartment and her eyes widened in surprise. "Is that a baby I'm hearing?"

Reno sighed in affirmation. The piercing cry was making his brain hurt. "Yeah, it's my…uh…" he paused, struggling to find the right word in his fogged brain.

"Don't tell me some woman left a baby on your doorstep, son!" she asked in shock, and Reno sweat-dropped. She was watching far too many soap operas for her own good.

"No, that's not the case!" Reno hurried to explain. "It's my sister's kid and I'm just… babysitting?"

The woman's features softened momentarily. "Thank God. I was worried for you, my dear boy. Do you need any help with the child? You look like you could use some sleep."

Elise was purely a deus ex machina for Reno that night. He nodded rapidly. "Oh, yes, _please._ I don't think I can take any more of this tonight," he said and stepped aside, letting the elderly woman inside his messy apartment and immediately guiding her to the bedroom.

Elise was quick to gather the, by now, screaming baby in her arms and start murmuring words that Reno couldn't make out in her ear. The infant's cries seemed to die down, but she was still upset with the stranger that had brought her into this place, where she still hadn't had her stomach filled and her mommy had yet to appear.

Elise turned to the dumbstruck Reno and asked, "Do you have any milk? The young lady here is hungry."

"Eh, I…" Reno wasn't sure what to say, so he shut his mouth and tilted his head towards the living room, where all the baby supplies he had were sprawled. She nodded and walked towards the direction he had pointed, searching through the things for what she needed, while maintaining a grip on the baby girl.

Reno could only gape as the old woman found a jar of prepared baby food and asked him where the kitchen was. He instructed the lady to her desired destination and watched silently as she prepared the food methodically, still balancing the now calm baby in her arms. He absently wondered if all women were able to multitask. He couldn't even hold the kid without making her cry, and yet Elise was managing to do just that while preparing food as well.

He sighed. Women were such an enigma.

* * *

It was around two-thirty past midnight that the devil child finally submitted to sleep, after her stomach was full. Elise had prepared the food herself, but left it to Reno to feed it to her. He wasn't very happy with that, but carried out the task anyway. Though it proved to be more difficult than it seemed, since the baby girl refused to be fed by, who she had recently dubbed as, her mean uncle.

After nearly forty minutes of literal fighting over a bowl of farine lactée, Reno's niece finally ate up all of her food and drifted off to sleep only minutes later. Reno sighed as he placed her on the bassinet and wiped a bed of sweat that had formed over his brow. He had been an official uncle for less than a day, and he already sucked at it. He hung his head; he was so doomed.

Returning to the living room, he found Elise sorting out the stuff he had thrown out of the baby's bag when he was looking for the pacifier. He felt a tint of guilt at the sight of someone cleaning after him. It had been years since the last time someone had took care of his mess. Stepping up next to her, he started picking up things from the floor.

She smiled at him. "You are scared, aren't you?"

"It's a rare feeling for me but, yeah. I'm scared shitless," he replied sheepishly.

"Don't worry, son. You did fine. Her mother will pick her up soon, won't she? I'm sure you can last another day or two," Elise said.

Guilt gathered on the tip of Reno's guilt. How was he supposed to explain to the lady that he wasn't exactly babysitting, but actually parenting this little girl?

"Actually, I… I have to keep her for a while," he said finally. "Her parents are… they're away for business and I have to take care of her while they're gone."

He didn't sound very convincing, and he doubted that Elise believed his lie. However, even if she didn't, she smiled warmly and patted his shoulder. "Then, I suppose I will be visiting you soon." She stood up from the couch and walked slowly towards the door, with Reno on her heels. "Don't hesitate to knock on my door if you need anything, dear. I have plenty of time to spare."

Reno nodded in gratitude and escorted the old lady to her apartment. After saying his goodbyes and thanks, he slipped back inside his place and shut the door behind him inaudibly. The last thing he needed on his head was an abruptly awakened baby.

He lay down on his bed for the second time that night and he glanced at the bright red letters of his digital clock to find that it was past three o'clock.

Reno sighed in defeat and closed his eyes. He had to take drastic measures if he wanted to survive long enough to find a family for his niece.


End file.
